IMPHAL, September 29: The Assam Sanmilitia Mahashangha (ASM), a confederation of Indigenous Communities of Assam has said that considering the validity of Coalition for Indigenes`™ Rights Campaign (CIRCA), Manipur demand for the restoration of Pre-Merger Special Political Status of Manipur, it supports CIRCA in its movement.
A statement of the confederation said Manipur`™s Maharaja Boddha Chandra was coerced to sign the Merger Agreement by VP Menon, advisor to the Home Ministry under the strict instruction from the then Home Minister of India Sadar Vallabhai Patel at Assam`™s Shillong House on September 21, 1949.
The statement issued by its working president Matiur Rahman here in Imphal today said it was not right for India to have forced the merger of Manipur into its Union without seeking the mandate of its people who had already had a Constitution of their own with an elected Parliament in the form of Assembly.
Rahman further stated that a `Manipur Peoples`™ Council` with representatives of all its indigenous ethnic communities as members, now being raised by CIRCA, Manipur as a demand, must be considered and realised by the authorities. Then there will be permanent peace in the state as everybody will feel secured and protected under such a constitutional set-up, it said.
On the other hand, Rahman deplored India government for restricting the people from their right to meet the renowned human rights activist Irom Chanu Sharmila without the approval from the Manipur State Police which requires submission of an application 30 days beforehand.
Rahman also claimed that he had approached the State police authorities to meet Irom Sharmila Chanu on September 24, but his request was not accepted as he had not submitted his application 30 days beforehand, he regretted. .
He also vehemently opposed the process stating that Irom Chanu Sharmila is not a criminal but a human rights activist.
Such a type of restriction should not be imposed on her, he added stating that he had even gone on hunger strike for 11 hours supporting her cause at Dispur, the capital of Assam, in 2011.